Abimbola Asojo, AIA, IDEC, Director |
Professor Myers; Associate Professors Asojo, Boeck, Wachter; Instructors Biddick, Hoehn, Pober, Williams.
The Interior Design program is a four-year Council for Interior Design Accreditation-accredited first professional degree curriculum and meets standards set forth by appropriate national, professional and educational associations. The Division of Interior Design recognizes the definition of a professional interior designer as the cornerstone of its philosophical underpinnings:
“The Professional Interior Designer is qualified by education, experience, and examination to enhance the function and quality of interior spaces for the purpose of improving the quality of life, increasing productivity, and protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public.
The professional interior designer:
The basic principles and concepts of interior design guide our thinking and decision-making with regard to program content, delivery and evaluation. We direct our efforts toward the development of the entry level interior design professional, with capabilities in the enhancement of the function and quality of interior spaces. We promote an understanding of current practice within the broadest context of the interior architectural profession as well as within the southwestern culture specific to this region.
The program places value upon three distinct characteristics which embody the philosophy of the interior design program at OU:
1. Learning is centered around contemporary practice: faculty bring significant practice experience which demonstrates advanced achievement in design management expertise beyond the project management levels of interior architectural design practice.
2. Learning is diverse and demonstrates a holistic approach to design problem-solving: faculty and students are exposed to regional and international practices emphasizing resources, culture and tradition-based design. The program also addresses global considerations focusing on issues which reinforce the positioning of interior design for the future.
3. Learning is interdisciplinary: the location of the interior design program within a college that shares teaching pedagogy across the disciplines of the built environment provides interior design faculty and students with an environment where team contributions are sought and disciplinary expertise is valued.
The mission of the Division of Interior Design is to provide professional undergraduate education in interior design within a collaborative, multi-disciplinary learning environment. The disciplinary perspective shares a common pedagogy within the College of Architecture divisions, engaging high tech knowledge with high touch skills in preparing new graduates to solve problems related to the global challenges facing the profession of interior design in practice.
The goals of the interior design program in the College of Architecture reflect the program’s location and resources and embrace change as a constant variable in the learning environment. The program strives to:
Interior design students begin their studies in the fall semester of the first year in the program. Students are required to earn a grade of C or better in all courses which carry a College of Architecture designator (ARCH, I D). Transfer students are encouraged to meet with the division director for review of prior work and placement in the appropriate studio sequence. Students who earn a D or F in any required ARCH or I D (professional) course(s) will not be permitted to advance into the subsequent set of professional courses until the failed course(s) is repeated.
The interior design curriculum combines the development of conceptual ideas — knowledge of art, architecture, craft, and manufacture that stimulates form-making and design with technical knowledge essential to the delivery of the interior built environment — while at the same time integrating the important tasks and rituals of individuals and groups.
A sequential core of professional courses and design studios are linked to University general education courses to prepare students for ever-changing conditions of practice and life. Sequential studio coursework is required in each semester from the environmental design foundation coursework through to the interior design capstone. The curriculum enables interdisciplinary experiences with architecture, landscape architecture, and construction science disciplines.
An active student chapter umbrella provides students with valuable interaction with members of the interior design profession while pursuing their degree. The student chapter sponsors field trips to designers’ offices, significant design projects and sites in the region, furnishings markets, and trade shows. Students also participate in competitions in studio as well as through formal independent study opportunities. In addition, students travel to national professional meetings, undertake structured internship experiences, and work with real clients.
College and divisional seminars bring visiting scholars and noted professionals to the College to provide students with a broad understanding of the multi-disciplinary nature of the College and both international and national exposure to significant work in the built environment.
Design studios provide students with permanent work stations. A resource room with current manufacturers’ catalogs, architecture and interior design samples, and technical data that provides students with design resource materials. The College of Architecture maintains a shared computer lab with access 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The program requires completion of a minimum of 125 semester hours distributed in general education, major, and elective courses. Undergraduate degree requirements are revised and published annually each summer. Requirements for programs are available on the World Wide Web at: http://checksheets.ou.edu/archindx.htm. Degree requirements for interior design include the following:
FIRST YEAR — First Semester - 16 hours
ENGL 1113, General Education MATH, HIST 1483 or 1493, I D 1011, I D 1133, ARCH 1143.
Second Semester - 15 hours
ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213, P SC 1113, PHYS 1114, I D 1145.
SECOND YEAR — First Semester - 15 hours
A HI 2213, I D 2763, Natural Sciences with Lab (Core II), I D 2535.
Second Semester - 16 hours
A HI 2223, I D 2544, I D 2773, ARCH 2333, I D 2783.
NOTE: A minimum 2.50 OU and combined retention GPA is required for admission to the junior and senior years of the Bachelor of Interior Design program. Admission is limited to the top 20 students applying for the program as determined by GPA (2.50 combined retention or higher) and portfolio review. All freshman and sophomore courses listed above must be completed before applying for admission.
THIRD YEAR —First Semester - 16 hours
I D 3724, I D 3753, I D 3773, ACCT 2113, Non-Western Civilization course.
Second Semester - 16 hours
I D 3734, I D 3763, I D 4763 or 4783, ECON 1113, upper-division Open Elective.
FOURTH YEAR — First Semester - 16 hours
MKT 3013, I D 4463, 4744, Communication Elective, ARCH 3443.
Second Semester - 15 hours
I D 4776, Professional Elective (upper-division), General Education Elective (upper-division, outside the major), Upper-division Open Elective.
TOTAL CUMULATIVE HOURS — 125
A grade of C or better must be earned in all required professional courses.
NOTE: Two college-level courses in a single foreign language are required. This requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing two years in a single foreign language in high school.